A Cliffside Park officer will be barred from ever holding public employment after being found guilty of illegally altering his license plates.File photo

CLIFFSIDE PARK — A suspended borough police officer has been barred from ever holding public employment after a judge found him guilty of altering his license plates today, The Record is reporting.

Jon Lemkin had argued that he was being framed by a fellow officer, Capt. Michael Russo, because Russo was being sued by a friend of Lemkin's for allegedly harassing him while Russo had an affair with his wife. The Record reported that charges related to the alleged harassment were dismissed in 2010.

The altered plates were discovered by Russo and another officer who came to Lemkin's home to deliver a letter regarding his suspension.

Lemkin was also found guilty of installing emergency lights in his personal vehicle without obtaining proper permission, and Bergen County municipal judge Roy McGeady ordered him to forfeit his job as an officer immediately.